Here we go again...... Sam's Club no longer carrying Nathan's

Hi everyone, As my post states my local Sams Club is no longer carrying Nathan's hot dogs. I have been using Nathan's for a bit now and folks liked them. So now I am once again dreading trying to find a decent quality hot dog to carry on the cart. I live in what I like to refer to as the Hot dog wasteland of America. Small town rural Indiana where you can throw the cheapest most disgusting hot dog on a dried up nasty bun, and some poor guy thinks it's good as long as it is cheap. I tried to keep good quality on top of the list. I really did. Nathan's was a good dog. I sold them at $1.50 and did o.k. Good food, good value. Apparently Nathan's has decided to stop their business with Sam's Club and that is putting a kink in my hose. I have checked into Vienna Beef and Red hot Chicago, but they were a little expensive. Koegels I can get, at about .61 a piece, but some folks woo at the natural casing. (I LOVE it!). So I am on the prowl looking for a decent dog to carry. Sometimes I feel like I am just in the wrong area to really make a go of it as far as a good quality hot dog. The largest seller around sells an 8-1 Gordons food Service dog, (equivalent to eating carp). I do not want to be that guy. So here is the question, .. give up and be assimilated into the Borg selling these cheap hot dogs, or maintain a high quality dog, if I can find one locally, and begin to build from there? Your thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks

Yep, I know, 1.50 is real cheap, but here it seems you are always in competition with the guy next to you that sells crap dogs and he can beat your price all day long. We have talked about upping the price to 2.00. Hebrew Nationals are great dogs no doubt. If I could get them at a decent price. The only place I think I can get them is Walmart. Paying retail scares me, but it might be worth a try.

Well....ya could do a 2 hr trip to the Indy Restaurant Depot. Or try to beg Sysco or some other wholesaler to sell you small quantities. Call Nathan's and see if they have an idea. Gordons may be able to get them for you. I hear you on the GFS dogs, even the all beef, I can't stand the smell of them. They are my back-up dog for groups that need a cheap dog. Ever thought about doing tacos?

Sam's never sold Nathans here. I think they sell the jumbo's out of the Deli, I'm not sure. I watched for the sales and bought Nathans wherever. Sometimes they were $6.50 I think. So I just shopped for the deals. That's more time and effort with no benefits.

I bought a box of Bakers and Chef Saturday for the Marathon I catered Sunday. My son and I ate the Bakers and Chefs and a Nathans unadulterated. I mean just plain, and I'm sitting here wondering why everyone is willing to pay 2 or 3 times more for Nathans than Bakers and Chefs. We liked them every bit as much as Nathans. So, I've been converted. I'm a Bakers and Chefs Hot Dog Vendor. And they are just .22 1/2 cents each

Get a box and taste them yourself next to anything. Don't worry what Joe Blow says about them. You taste them and make your own decision. Last July I liked Hebrew National the least of about 5 different brands I tried. They didn't taste like a hot dog to me.

Go by your own taste. Hell, there are folks here recommending what to buy and what taste best, and they won't even suck a Crayfish's head. How ya gonna believe someone like that. They need their taste buds tested by an expert. They have a problem. LOL!!!

I sold them so fast I didn't hold them very long. Maybe they split. I'll find out and make adjustments at Walgreens for my daily location business. I have folks that ask for a split one if they see it. If I have one in the pan I'll ask the customer which one they want and half the time they want the split one. Go figure.

I want to be an expert event's Caterer if I can find enough events. It's gonna be hard to do a $75 to $100 day here in my town. I'd have to sell T-Bone Steak on a bun for $3 to make that kind of money here. Hot Dog eaters here are far and few inbetween. You have to be the only game in town at an event to do good here with Hot Dogs.

Can someone lend me $150,000 to move to New York, I know I can make it there. Heck with my Cajun accent I'll fit right in. They'll probably think I'm a foreigner and buy anything I sell. Ha ha!

Nate, I grill all of my dogs and hold them in the steamer. Does anyone know if there is a cover for the full size pan that holds the boiling water? I thought for a huge festival that we have here in the fall that I'd just load up the grill and also just boil a bunch of dogs in the full size pan if I got that busy.

Cheese, Jack I really don't think the folks out here even know the difference in any dog. They probably all buy the $1.18 a pack pork and chicken Oscar Meyers for the house. And like I said before all they want is mustard and or ketchup. Every tenth person wants the chili when I suggest it.

I taste tested Bakers and Chefs against Nathan' when I first started out. My family, and customers liked them better than Nathan's. The B and C dogs were, and are delicious, but they are VERY temperature sensitive. My most successful method with these dogs was to very lightly griddle (I bought a SizzleQ for my grill from Sam's Club) them up to temp, and then hold them between 145 and 150 degrees. Do not hold the dogs higher than 160, or they will start shrinking like a breakfast sausage!

I now use Kent 100% Black Angus franks. You can't beat them. Absolutely delicious. See if someone in your area sells them and give them a try.

our hot dog cart uses Bakers Chef hot dogs cooked in a special juice but I am not happy with the beef Bakers Choice while they are cheaper I know its not the best I could do Without a doubt Nathans is far superior but the price has always scared me off. No way for $1.50 We get $2.00 for beef dogs and then we don't sell many. But I feel sells would increase once they got a look and taste of Nathans Thinking hard on switching.

Hey dixie dawgs! I'm just up the road in Birmingham. I used Bakers and Chefs for a while, then about a year ago I switched to Kent. They are absolutely amazing! I can only get them from a local distributor. I use the 100% Angus Beef frank- lightly grilled in small batches, and then held in beef bullion. Try them a local distributor can get them.

Try calling Nathans direct from their website to see if there is a distributor around you.

dixie dawgs

our hot dog cart uses Bakers Chef hot dogs cooked in a special juice but I am not happy with the beef Bakers Choice while they are cheaper I know its not the best I could do Without a doubt Nathans is far superior but the price has always scared me off. No way for $1.50 We get $2.00 for beef dogs and then we don't sell many. But I feel sells would increase once they got a look and taste of Nathans Thinking hard on switching.